Beyond Likability

How to Evaluate Your Manager’s Leadership Skills

CPPP*: Leadership Theory and Practice by Peter G. Northouse
*Creative Passion’s Perfect Pairing

When considering a new job, starting a new job, or even just stepping back and evaluating your current job, it’s good to pause and take time to consider the person who manages you. I keep seeing tips on how to make your manager like you, but you shouldn’t need to work around a difficult manager. You should be in a professional and supportive environment.

So what should you consider when looking at a manager?

Good managers are humble.
They can evaluate the strengths of their team and put those skills to use to complement the product, the team and the skills they lack strength in themselves. Those skills could include product knowledge, presentations, organization, strategic thinking, etc.

Good managers listen.
They don’t care if the best idea came from them. They are open to ideas. They are fine giving credit to others. Many managers will say they listen. However, if they are consumed by their own thoughts, they are nodding their head and doing what they wanted to anyways.

Good managers step back.
Having trust in their team demonstrates a significant level of respect for their abilities and time. If a manager seems to thrive on micro-managing, it usually pairs with them being all over the place. They feel the need to check in often to make sure you are aware of the task-du-jour.

Good managers are ready to hire well.
Have you ever looked at an employee and wonder how they got there? There are times when hiring is so rushed that they hire a warm body to fill the seat. Good managers tend to have a very strong network of people eager to work with them again. The options for hiring are a matter of reaching out and seeing which of their network are available for the new opportunity.

Good managers support the team.
Sometimes there’s a team member who is struggling with his or her job. We commend the managers who try to help them. However, instead of letting the person just learn as they continue in their role, a good manager will provide additional supports, or move things around, so the rest of the team isn’t impacted by a co-workers improvement process. This also allows the rest of the team to help support instead of feeling frustrated.

Good managers seek new knowledge.
Being comfortable with the everyday hinders growth. Good managers are constantly learning, and encouraging it among their team, so they can be on top of the business, competitors, culture, technology and anything else that could potentially help their team.

Good managers are clear.
Being part of a meeting that ends in silence is a sign of a manager that is unclear, and a team that is worried about what’s next. Managers that are clear, consistent and transparent help tam’s do their jobs effectively and efficiently. If work is in a constant churn, it’s evidence that the team keeps chasing a moving target.

Good managers bring out the best in people.
If the team is constantly changing, retainment challenges are evident. Yes, this can be because of many other factors, however, most people will stay in a role if the manager is great and the pay holds them steady.

If you ask people to tell you about their favourite jobs, they will usually tell you all about the manager that supported them and gave them a great environment to work in. People don’t quit jobs, they quit managers.

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